Climate change impacts on mesophotic regions of the Great Barrier Reef

Author:

McWhorter Jennifer K.123ORCID,Halloran Paul R.1ORCID,Roff George24ORCID,Mumby Peter J.2ORCID

Affiliation:

1. Faculty of Environment, Science and Economy, University of Exeter, Exeter EX4 4QJ, United Kingdom

2. Marine Spatial Ecology Lab, School of the Environment The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia

3. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory, Ocean Chemistry and Ecosystem Divisions, Miami, FL 33149

4. Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation, Oceans & Atmosphere, St Lucia, QLD 4000, Australia

Abstract

Climate change projections for coral reefs are founded exclusively on sea surface temperatures (SST). While SST projections are relevant for the shallowest reefs, neglecting ocean stratification overlooks the striking differences in temperature experienced by deeper reefs for all or part of the year. Density stratification creates a buoyancy barrier partitioning the upper and lower parts of the water column. Here, we mechanistically downscale climate models and quantify patterns of thermal stratification above mesophotic corals (depth 30 to 50 m) of the Great Barrier Reef (GBR). Stratification insulates many offshore regions of the GBR from heatwaves at the surface. However, this protection is lost once global average temperatures exceed ~3 °C above preindustrial, after which mesophotic temperatures surpass a recognized threshold of 30 °C for coral mortality. Bottom temperatures on the GBR (30 to 50 m) from 2050 to 2060 are estimated to increase by ~0.5 to 1 °C under lower climate emissions (SSP1-1.9) and ~1.2 to 1.7 °C under higher climate emissions (SSP5-8.5). In short, mesophotic coral reefs are also threatened by climate change and research might prioritize the sensitivity of such corals to stress.

Funder

UK Research and Innovation

Publisher

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences

Cited by 2 articles. 订阅此论文施引文献 订阅此论文施引文献,注册后可以免费订阅5篇论文的施引文献,订阅后可以查看论文全部施引文献

1. Mesoscale Eddies Influence Coral Reef Environments in the Northwest Gulf of Mexico;Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans;2024-06

2. Climate change impacts on mesophotic regions of the Great Barrier Reef;Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences;2024-04-08

同舟云学术

1.学者识别学者识别

2.学术分析学术分析

3.人才评估人才评估

"同舟云学术"是以全球学者为主线,采集、加工和组织学术论文而形成的新型学术文献查询和分析系统,可以对全球学者进行文献检索和人才价值评估。用户可以通过关注某些学科领域的顶尖人物而持续追踪该领域的学科进展和研究前沿。经过近期的数据扩容,当前同舟云学术共收录了国内外主流学术期刊6万余种,收集的期刊论文及会议论文总量共计约1.5亿篇,并以每天添加12000余篇中外论文的速度递增。我们也可以为用户提供个性化、定制化的学者数据。欢迎来电咨询!咨询电话:010-8811{复制后删除}0370

www.globalauthorid.com

TOP

Copyright © 2019-2024 北京同舟云网络信息技术有限公司
京公网安备11010802033243号  京ICP备18003416号-3